Massachusetts Bill H3855: Cochlear Implant Insurance for Children

Currently, many parents must wage a battle with insurance companies for their child’s second (bilateral) implant. Additionally, insurance company reimbursement to the hospitals that perform pediatric CI surgery is never adequate, so the centers lose out financially. This affects all CI users in the long run because it makes it increasingly difficult for the centers to provide care to their growing population of CI users and candidates. It translates to longer waits for scheduling surgeries, mappings and all other CI-related appointments in the few centers that do provide the surgery. Moreover, the number of hospitals who offer CI surgery may shrink as it becomes increasingly expensive to offer surgery and provide ongoing cochlear implant services. If adopted, this bill would improve cochlear implant care for existing and future CI recipients in Massachusetts.

Please call or write to your Massachusetts Senator or Representative to support this important bill that will increase access to pediatric cochlear implant services for deaf infants and children in the Commonwealth.

Text of Massachusetts Bill H3855 to cover pediatric CI services

FOX News coverage of pediatric cochlear implant Bill H3855

List of Massachusetts representatives and senators